The Second Sun
by wcv
Summary: Ten years after the fall of the Galactic Republic the galaxy is locked in a cold war between the Alliance and the New Republic. As both sides prepare for a second conflict the Dark Lord of the Sith dispatches his apprentice into Republic space to locate a project stolen by the Jedi in the closing days of the Galactic Revolution, while on the galaxies fringes a new threat emerges.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01

10 years after the fall of the Galactic Republic

"I'm picking up a distress signal," Lieutenant Otock announced. The Mon Calamari punched a few more buttons and said, "Small freighter. YT-1300 by the looks of it. I'd guess a smuggler."

"Scan it closely," Captain Sritlecur ordered. "If they are smugglers the damage must be severe if they are calling for help."

Otock nodded. Beside the captain the Jedi they were escorting, a young man named Ezra Bridger reached out through the Force and said, "Whoever is over there is scared. Something's wrong."

"Looks like a hypermatter leak," Otock said. "A severe one. They've left a trail a quarter of a light-year across, and the ship is losing power. I wouldn't be surprised if they run out of air in a matter of minutes."

Sritlecur frowned. The Twi-lek had been working on the border of the Galactic Alliance for nearly five years, and she'd seen plenty of smugglers in that time. But to have one in an accident this close to the Republic border had to be the worst luck this captain was ever going to have. Finally she announced, "Bring them alongside. We'll render aid, and take them back to Kashyyk for an investigation."

"Or medal," Otock commented.

Stritlecur shrugged, "Or a medal," she agreed. That all depended on the cargo. If the smuggler was bringing spice into the Alliance then it would be prison time. If they were bringing bacta to the Republic they'd be paid and set up officially.

"Ezra, could you assist," the captain asked. The Jedi was with them on his first proper mission after being promoted to a full knight, it would be good for him to work on something easy like this."

Bridger smiled, "Of course," he answered, standing and moving to the lift.

Stritlecur didn't watch him go. Something about this still didn't sit right with her.

* * *

Bridger grinned as he entered airlock where the other ship would be latched. He had only been away from his master for a few weeks, and wanted an opportunity, any opportunity to show that the Council's judgement to appoint him a knight was correct.

As he arrived the brief alarm signaling the opening of the airlock began, and several troopers arrived. There would be B-3 droids outside of course, but no reason to terrify whoever was asking for aid this quickly.

The airlock door slid open, and a young woman stumbled through it, clutching at her side. She was, Bridger thought, very pretty, with red bright red hair in a bun. But her clothes were horribly burned, and she couldn't have been in much condition to walk. A medic ran forward and steadied her before saying, "Easy. We'll get you on a stretcher." The girl nodded briefly, and Bridger began to sense something was off here, something was odd about this girl. "What's your name?" The medic asked kindly, beginning to look her over for injuries."

"Jade," she answered. "Mara Jade." She looked up, and locked eyes on Bridger. Her eyes were bright green…no…he realized with a shock. That was their natural color, but there was a very clear sign of yellow there. "And I see you brought a Jedi," she said, her voice suddenly losing what warmth had been there. "I was afraid this would be too easy."

A red lightsaber appeared in her hand, bisecting the medic who'd been holding her. Moments later she decapitated both troopers who'd been close by and turned on Bridger, who had ignited his own green lightsaber. The two faced each other for a moment, then Bridger lept at her.

The woman dodged his attack and brought her own saber around without pausing. She was fast, he noted. Extremely fast, and anger radiated off of her. Anger and…something else. Fear he thought. After a moment he considered and knew that he was correct, it was certainly fear.

Deciding to play on that he pressed her harder, trying to drive Jade into a corner where she wouldn't be able to fall back further. She complied slowly, taking a few steps back. But she wasn't losing focus. He decided to push her a bit. "You can't win. A fallen Jedi…" he was cut off as Jade's foot hit the wall behind her, and she suddenly used the new position to fling herself up and forward, coming down on the far side of the room. Bridger whirled, but was a fraction of a second too late. Jade raised one hand, and lightning out of it, blasting him against a wall. His lightsaber fell from his hand, and Jade summoned it.

He fell, twitching from the blast and the woman advanced, knowing she had just enough time before the combat brought reinforcements in. Raising her lightsaber however she pointed it down at Bridger's head and said coldly, "I'm not a Jedi."

Grabbing her commlink Jade announced, "Captain, the airlock is secure. Deploy immediately."

There was an acknowledgement, and onboard the freighter smuggling hatches opened and thirty clones emerged from hiding. They were barely off the ship when the doors slid open and a security trooper came in to find out what was wrong. He died moments later under a hail of blaster fire. The clones moved forward into a storm of blaster fire from the B-3 droids which had arrived.

The B-3 Advanced Battle droid was an odd step after the more heavily armored B-2 Super battle droid. Featuring a more advanced brain capable of acting independent of a control signal indefinitely the B-3 sacrificed much of the useless armor which had weighed down its predecessor, returning to the more streamlined B-1 model. The B-3s armor was primarily built onto vital systems. The wrist blasters had been removed as well to allow for a wider variety of weapons to be carried.

The most important difference however lay in the joints, which had been modified heavily to allow faster and easier movement, giving the B-3 the ability to take cover effectively and retain the ability to fire. With updated programming the droid was several times as effective as any predecessor, and largely deemed more dangerous than even the Destroyer droids.

They were still outmatched by the clones. Clone armor had been heavily updated based on experience during the Galactic Revolution. New developments allowed the armor to vent heat more effectively, leading to a significant increase in the number of shots the armor could absorb before being easily penetrated. Their blaster rifles had been significantly changed as well, focusing on faster rates of fire over power in each shot. The more important modification however had been a concentration on making blaster rifles shorter, allowing for easier movement in cramped spaces, and the addition of a thermal detonator launcher to most weapons.

The B-3s fought effectively, but were horribly outnumbered by the clones, and their defensive systems were overwhelmed.

Mara had spent the fight rifling through the Jedi's pockets, and she rose as the clone commander approached. "The transmitter isn't on him," she announced. "Commander, take the bridge immediately, before they can penetrate the jamming. After that tear this ship apart until you find the Jedi's beacon."

"Yes Lady Recht," the clone answered immediately. "And the crew?"

Mara shrugged, "I have no interest in prisoners. Get the information and execute them."

"Yes ma'am," the clone acknowledged. He went off to gather the surviving soldiers and set of toward the bridge, leaving only a skeleton group behind to guard their mistress and the ship. Mara paced as she waited. The sounds of combat had faded, and the corridors leading to the bridge were scarred with signs of combat, the bodies of the unprepared crew scattered through them, the occasional B-3 droid or clone among them.

Finally, Mara's commlink beeped and she said, "Report."

"The bridge is secure Lady Recht," a clone announced. "The captain is alive should you wish to question her. We have the ship on lockdown outside your section. We are preparing to sweep the ship of survivors."

"Excellent work commander," Jade said. "I will be on the bridge momentarily. Leave some guards and proceed."

"Yes, my lady," the clone answered.

Mara proceeded up the ship, leaving her own guards behind. With the lone Jedi she'd sense gone nothing on the ship was even a minor threat to her. She met no one as she passed, though the weaklings were clearly visible in the Force, cowering as if that would save them from the clones. The bridge itself was a complete wreck. At least one thermal detonator had gone off inside, and the broken bodies of the crew littered the floor. The captain was restrained in her chair, with two clones standing guard next to her.

Mara walked toward them, and stopped directly in front of the Twi-lek, not bothering to hide her disdain for the Republic officer. "Where's the Jedi's beacon?" she demanded.

"Go to…" the captain, began, but was cut off by a choking gasp as Mara reached out through the Force and squeezed her throat.

"You were saying?" she continued, deliberately making herself sound bored. At the same time however she reached out with the Force and began driving her will onto the captain's mind.

The other woman was silent, then asked, "What will I get if I tell you?"

Mara smiled coldly. "I won't shove you out an airlock." She answered. "I understand its quite painful."

"I…" the captain said slowly.

Inside the woman's mind Mara's attack had finished. She would have spilled anything with just a little push. So, Mara gave it to her, "I'll find it regardless," the Sith informed her. "Your resistance means nothing. No one will remember you."

"Deck two." The captain said shakily. "His quarters were room nine. It will be there."

Mara whipped her lightsaber out and decapitated the woman. "Join your commander," she ordered the clones. "Kill everyone on this ship and then blow it up."

"Yes ma'am." They ordered immediately before filing out. Mara followed, remembering the designs she'd had to memorize of this type of ship. The deck below was less scarred than the path to the bridge, but there were still signs of combat. Most of the quarters had been blasted in, and the bodies of crew members were scattered across as well. The Jedi's quarters had had the doors blown off, but the inside was untouched apart from that. The clones would have been looking for survivors here after all. Mara reached out through the Force, and ripped the Jedi's furnishings apart. A flash caught her eye from one corner, where a nightstand had been, and she grabbed it triumphantly. The Jedi's beacon was fully functioning. She switched it off immediately and started back toward her ship. Somewhere deeper in the ship the last of the crew was being exterminated, and it would soon be time for her to depart. Staying in Republic space was dangerous, but the mission was worth it.

The Jedi kept their new headquarters hidden, but the beacon would lead her there. It would lead her to her master's prize, and in the process rip away what hope remained to those who opposed the Sith Lord.

* * *

" _My master,"_ Darth Recht announced as her hologram materialized in Luke's office on what had once been the center of the galaxy.

Darth Rhamnous studied the girl silenly for a moment, before asking, "The mission?"

" _The beacon is in my possession master,"_ his apprentice informed him. _"The coordinates are coded, it will take time to track the signal. I shall not fail you."_

Rhamnous didn't doubt that. Mara Jade wasn't like the others who had a talent for the Force. They were shifted to intelligence to make up the secret police force that patrolled the less than pacified planets taken from the Republic during the war. Jade though. Jade was focused, she was determined, she was powerful, and she was smart. She was the perfect apprentice, apart from an excessive sentimental streak at time. But that could be cured, it had in Rhamnous's case after all.

"Let me know when you have succeeded in tracking the new Jedi Temple," he answered, keeping his assessment of his apprentice to himself. "Until then maintain silence."

Jade bowed, and Rhamnous cut the transmission.

He allowed a small smile and stood to look out over the Republic's former capital. A decade of forced labor had transformed what had been a built-up world into once where vast sections had been cleared away, the population forcibly moved to less inhabited planets elsewhere. The difficulties of feeding Coruscant had made it the Republic's weakest point during the war, and the Alliance had no time for a planet, or population, which could never ben made self-sufficient. Even from here the gleaming armor of work camp guards could be seen in the afternoon sun. Most of the planet was still covered in city blocks of course, and the Jedi Temple stood as a great burned out monument to the failure of that Order. Moved from the upper levels of the city down to the surface naturally.

The Senate building simply no longer existed, having been blasted into oblivion in the days following Coruscant fall as a sign of the fall of the Republic itself.

Irritants remained. Some brave senators had stayed behind, stealing blaster rifles from droids and using them to form their own personal militia. The other Senators who had remained on planet were all dead naturally.

High above in the upper atmosphere and orbiting the planet was the debris of the thousands of ships that had died above Coruscant in both battles. Clean-up would have taken decades normally, had the new management been interested. Luke was not inclined to bother however. His own dwelling was shielding, and what did he care if debris fell elsewhere on the planet.

The office itself was relatively sparse. A desk with holo-emitter, working station, and everything necessary to oversee the proper and orderly running of a military and intelligence service. The primary objects of decoration were the carbonite statues of the Kaminoan leaders who had found themselves obsolete at war's end. Now the planet was being managed by more…pliable, rulers.

Luke had barely retaken his seat when the holocomm alerted him to another message. He frowned, Mara would not be calling back this quickly, and very few other people would dare interrupt him. Which meant this had to be important. He flicked the switch to receive the message and was confronted by Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, one of the few men in the galaxy worthy to speak to the Sith Lord directly, and as needed.

"My lord," the Admiral said immediately. "We've received a communication from forces stationed along the Unknown Regions. An unknown alien force is requesting Asylum within the Republic."

"Destroy them," Luke said off-hand. Threats from the Unknown Regions was odd, and something to be brought to his attention.

"The leader of the group claims to know you sir," Pellaeon interjected. "He seemed to be under the impression you had offered him sanctuary should the need ever arise. Should I…?"

He stopped as Luke raised a hand. That was one of the reasons this Admiral could contact Luke whenever he needed to, Pellaeon knew when to stay silent. Luke however was thinking back, and he remembered. He had met a commander in the Unknown Regions after all. "What is the alien's name?" He asked finally.

"Mitth'raw'noruodo," Pellaeon said, butchering the pronunciation. "He says we may know him as Thrawn. He also wished to inform you, the war was lost, and the Vagaari are coming."

Luke nodded, "Allow them passage. I will meet at a neutral location. Mrisst I believe. We can investigate as necessary. For now shift two hundred Star Destroyers from interior patrol lines to the border."

Pellaeon nodded, "If these Vagaari are preparing for an attack we will slaughter them mylord."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Commander Han Solo carefully brought his _Actis III_ -advanced interceptor into a careful landing behind the Security Director's shuttle. As the leader of Rogue Squadron, some joke from the Mandalorian evacuation apparently, the most elite fighter group of the Alliance it was his privilege to fly escort for their supreme commander whenever Skywalker visited the front.

The _Actis III_ was the single most advanced starfighter in the known galaxy, with powerful deflector shields, multiple rapid-firing blaster cannons, and a concussion missile launcher. Those had been present on the previous model as well however. What made the _Actis III_ truly stand out were the powerful inertial dampeners inside, which allowed Alliance pilots to match the impossible maneuvers which previously could only have been achieved by droids. With an elite pilot's skill behind it the _Actis III_ was virtually unbeatable in a dogfight. Only one pilot that Han knew of could outfly his squadron, and she officially did not exist. He had never trained her, nor had she ever flown with them.

He hopped down the ladder that was provided for his fighter and moved up with the rest of his squadron to guard the ramp of Skywalker's shuttle. Arrayed before them were the crew of this Star Dreadnaught, all arrayed in formation. Standing at the front was Admiral Pellaeon, at attention as the ramp came down.

Skywalker's guard, a group of clones clad in traditional Mandalorian armor and armed with heavy weapons came down first, forming up at the bottom, then separating into two columns and turned outward.

Finally, down the ramp came the man himself, Luke Skywalker, Director of Alliance Security. The man was the supreme commander of the Alliance military, and head of the Intelligence service. He'd kept a low profile during the war, but afterward had emerged as the unifying force between the two, and had established the firm power base which held sway over almost all of the territory liberated from the Republic.

In theory he was subordinate to the Assembly and Premier, but the Assembly was no better than the old Senate, and it held no actual power. The Premier was a figurehead with as little power as the Assembly. The true power in the Alliance were the Oversector Directors. Amidala, Kryze, Needa, Antilles, Mothma, Zar, Tarkin, etc. These were the people who had willingly led their worlds into the Alliance, or had formed it initially. And as such they were the trustees who maintained vast groups of sectors across the quarter of the galaxy the Alliance controlled.

But the reality was there were so many sectors, and so few trustworthy leaders. And so, the rest of the Alliance fell under military administration, or to put it another way, Skywalker's administration. He directly ruled as much territory as the other Directors combined, and a preponderance of all military forces. Without any Assembly oversight he was also free to maintain order through any means necessary.

In effect, Luke Skywalker was the single most powerful man in the galaxy. And as the leader of a squadron hand-picked by Han Solo himself, Han was virtually unquestionable in his orders and judgement. Pretty good for a street rat from Corellia if Han said so himself.

Director Skywalker greeted Pellaeon, then began down the soldiers, surveying them as he did so.

Occasionally, Skywalker stopped to greet a specific person, often those he had either gone to school with, met in functions in the years afterwards, or had recruited from planetary security forces to serve in the Alliance Fleet.

"Is he always like this?" The newest pilot in their squadron, another Corellian named Antilles, whispered, only loud enough for Han to hear. Technically they were not allowed to talk while Skywalker was inspecting the assembled force, but Rogue Squadron was afforded special privileges for their skills.

Han nodded imperceptibly. "Got a memory for faces," he whispered back. "Gets inspiring the first time someone that important singles you out by name."

Antilles nodded. Han spotted the signal a few moments later and gestured for Rogue Squadron to fall into line. They did so, Skywalker's guards behind them and began forward down the aisle as well. The fell into step behind the Director as he strode from the hangar, and escorted him to his quarters, the largest on the ship naturally. When they reached the door, Skywalker turned and dismissed his clone guards with a word. They would be birthed in a special barracks, and were largely ceremonial anyway. Han remembered the attempted assassination of Skywalker on Coruscant five years before.

Despite being outnumbered ten to one the Director had slaughtered his attackers with a casual, almost contemptuous ease. The lightsaber he openly wore was not for show.

One by one Skywalker thanked Rogue Squadron, including Antilles, who seemed positively elated that Skywalker remembered his first name, Wedge, and the name of his wife. Won a follower for life there, Han reflected. Such a small gesture really, but it paid dividends. Anyone on this ship would throw themselves in front of a turbolaser bolt if it meant even the smallest possibility of saving Skywalker, including Han himself.

Finally, Skywalker extended his hand to Han and commented, "Congratulations on being promoted to Rogue Leader. Fel recommended you highly."

"Thank you for selecting me," Han answered immediately. "It is a great honor sir."

Luke smiled and nodded, "I know that you won't disappoint me. Say hello to Winter for me, and congratulate her on her own promotion as well."

"I will sir," Han answered, genuinely grateful for the gesture even if he knew it was a minor thing. Winter had worked hard to gain respect in Alliance intelligence, and his wife would be elated that the man in charge had personally recognized it.

Skywalker entered his own chambers, and Solo ordered his subordinates to their quarters.

* * *

Luke Skywalker closed his eyes as the doors slid shut behind him. This all got so…tiresome. Pretending to care about whatever petty concerns his subordinates had paid dividends naturally, but it could be exhausting. Breathing deeply Skywalker settled into meditation, and drifted away. As he did so the ship fell away, and he drifted into the Force.

* * *

Mara's eyes snapped open as she broke into the Jedi's beacon. It had been a long process of unlocking the complex defenses the Jedi built into their equipment. One of their own Jedi could have done it in seconds, but without already knowing exactly what to do Mara had had to work slowly and methodically, probing and testing each point, but that work had paid off.

She felt a moment of triumph, but even as she did so there was a warning in the Force and moments later the Beacon began to heat.

Mara swore as she tried to find what could have gone wrong, but there just wasn't enough time. Instead she started the program to mine the device's data as fast as possible. It took barely of a fraction of a second for the device to wipe itself and self-destruct. During that time her program had gotten some section of the data stored on it, all of it encrypted. Mara sighed and started the long process of breaking the encryption as well.

It was a process of nearly two days to work out the encryption key, and then another six hours to break the code underneath. The Jedi, Mara reflected as the computer decoded the information, really did not want their secrets being leaked.

She rapidly scanned the data that had been gathered and sighed. The location of the Jedi's new temple was not included. Whether it had been in the data which had been wiped before she could pull it, or had never been included was irrelevant, she would have to keep searching. From the initial data it appeared that Jedi transmissions originated from several planets scattered throughout the New Republic's territory, with the majority seeming to originate on Dantooine. That made sense, Mara reflected. The planet had long been a Jedi stronghold, going back thousands of years. While it had fallen out of favor in modern times the Jedi returning was logical.

Resolving to investigate Mara set her course for the planet, and jumped to hyperspace.

* * *

The refugee fleet was vast, at least a thousand ships of all sizes, and all of them were packed with Chiss.

Surrounding them was the less numerous, but far larger _Kuat-_ class Star Destroyers. The _Kuat_ was the natural successor to the old _Venator_ class. The Alliance had learned lessons from the Revolution, and these informed every decision made in the new capital ships. The _Venator's_ large hangar had been replaced by a smaller hangar dedicated almost entirely to fighters rather than a mixture of fighters and bombers. The hangar was approximately half as large as a _Venator's_ , despite the vessel itself being the same overall length The broadside turbolasers had been completely removed, replaced by a larger array of forward turbolasers. The aft had been more heavily armed as well. Most importantly, the class had had a vast amount of slave circuitry installed based on the Katana fleet, leaving the ship only needing a third of the _Venator's_ crew requirements.

The wedge that marked the Kuat Drive Yards' iconic design was intact, but the front was thicker, and the _Venator's_ side indentations had been removed, resulting in a more trapezoidal shape. The _Venator's_ two towers had been lowered significantly, instead merely projecting directly from the ship's superstructure without a neck. The bottom of the ship had also been angle upward, and the top had been angled down, meeting at the front of the ship at an angle. With the addition of significant firepower on the bottom of the ship allowed more firepower to be projected forward, while giving a 360 degree field of fire for the ship if needed. The ships bottom also held a larger complement of ion cannons, placed with the intention of giving the ship an ability to weaken, or potentially remove, planetary shields.

The interior of the ship was drastically different. In addition to the shrunken hangar virtually all ground assault capability outside of bombardment had been removed. A battalion of soldiers was retained onboard the ship, but these were primarily intended for use in boarding actions, both conducting and defending against. Overall, the _Kuat_ was the logical extension of everything the Alliance had learned during the last war. It was a capital ship designed to battle other capital ships and assault planets. These particular ships bore the black exterior which marked ships not belonging to a specific oversector fleet. Those just looking at them would simply see a void in space where there were no stars against the darkness.

By comparison the Chiss vessels were tiny, and all of them were clearly damaged. Scarring and burn marks ran along the hulls. Most of the ships were barely function, being primarily devoted to keeping the engines and life support running. Alliance transports moved between them delivering food, water, and air to keep the ships running while they waited for Skywalker's arrival.

The designated time arrived, and true to form Skywalker's squadron dropped out of hyperspace. This was a formation of eighteen _Kuat-_ class Star Destroyers, arrayed around the even larger _Solstice_ -class Star Dreadnaught. The _Solstice_ was the largest ship constructed by the Alliance, though by the standards of its ship type it was tiny. At only three miles long it was primarily an alternative capital ship that had been rejected as impractical for mass production. The _Solstice_ had had only four vessels ordered, all commissioned within the last year. The planet Kuat kept one as part of its Oversector Fleet, to replace the _Mandators_ which remained in service but had been transferred to other regions. Two were dispatched to Naboo's oversector and Mandalore's. Both had been chosen for their early support of the Alliance, and their proximity to Republic Space.

The final vessel had been taken by Skywalker as his personal flagship, after some additional modifications and upgrades. The vessel itself was named _Eclipse_ , and was fitted with additional turbolaser batteries, and more importantly a gravity well generator, a prototype of a scaled up design built to be used on capital ships rather than on dozens of satellites. The system had never gone past the testing phase however, as its power requirements were too great for even a _Kuat_ to carry it and an acceptable level of weaponry.

Quite what the alien dignitaries were thinking as the Alliance shuttle brought them into the vessel's hangar was impossible to guess. Waiting for them was an assembled battalion of clones, one of the few pure clones from the original Kaminoan sources, left. Rather than normal equipment however these clones wore armor that was painted black with streaks of gold, and had long ceremonial cloaks. Most striking however were the virtually featureless masks they wore. Normal clone trooper armor, and indeed all other Alliance armor, was formed to at least partially mimic the face of a sentient being. It put those who saw it at ease, initially at least.

But the personal Legion of Luke Skywalker, of which this battalion was a small part, did not bother. Their helmets were based on the Mandalorian helms of his guard. For this particular occasion the lower ranks carried force pikes, while the officers carried lightsabers. Both weapons were purely ceremonial.

Han Solo was waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp, in his own dress uniform, and unarmed. The first Chiss off the shuttle was a man of clearly military bearing. He was wearing a dark uniform, and wore enough gold thread on it to be a high-ranking officer Han though, not blind to the amount sewn into his own uniform.

"Commander Han Solo," he introduced himself, extending his hand. "Galactic Alliance Starfighter Corps."

"Admiral Thrawn of the Chiss Evacuation Fleet," the alien answered, uncertainly taking Han's hand, and allowing it to be shaken. "Is Skywalker not here?" Thrawn enquired.

"He was unfortunately delayed," Han said immediately. That was a damn lie, and he knew the other man knew it as well. Luke was technically talking to Director Amidala, but that had been purposefully timed. The Alliance were in the vastly superior position, and Skywalker was emphasizing that. Unless Han's initial impression was wildly off however Thrawn was unflappable enough that the minor insult would not seriously impact the situation. And, he thought ruefully, its not like they have much choice.

More aliens descended the ramp, several wearing heavy armor, though they lacked visible weapons. The leader approached and Thrawn announced, "Aristocra Chaf'form'bintrano will be our primary ambassador during the talks."

"Formbi," the Aristocra, noted, taking Han's extended hand. "I was the last Aristocra, but there is little point in retaining the title now. I cannot tell you how grateful we are at the Alliance's ongoing aid efforts, what food we had ran out several weeks ago, and I was afraid whoever we found would be unwilling to aid us."

Han smiled, "Don't mention it. Our government was founded on the principal of aiding the less fortunate. To refuse aid in such circumstances would be against our most important values." Seeing that there were no more aliens coming down the ramp he said, "If you are ready Director Skywalker has had a conference room prepared where he will meet with you. Several of our military leaders will be present as well, and a number of our government leaders will be watching and may comment."

"Of course," Formbi answered happily.

* * *

Skywalker was already waiting at the head of the conference table. He was wearing his normal clothing, a simple admiral's uniform, black to signify his section of the Alliance military, and no rank insignia. He didn't need one.

The Chiss were shown to their seats, and beverages were delivered by a golden protocol droid , while Skywalker's personal astromech sat next to his seat. The astromech was responsible for maintaining communication with the ghostly holograms around the table. Obi-Wan Kenobi of Alliance Intelligence, Admiral Zzinj of the fleet, Amidala of Naboo, Lorth Needa of Kuat, Raymus Antilles of Alderaan, and Satine Kryze of Mandalore were all gathered. Due to the still unstable Holonet connection within the Alliance none of them would be able to communicate while they were watching, but each would know what had happened in the meeting.

"Director Skywalker," Formbi began. "Allow me to once again thank you for the aid your fleet has provided. Our situation remains desperate, but our people are no longer starving."

Skywalker smiled and answered, "Naturally we could not turn down your request for aid. My advisors tell me a planet has been selected which is similar to your own world. It is uninhabited, and has only a small number of local species." He gestured, and Artoo beeped before a holo-image of an ice world appeared. "Hoth is in what we call the Outer Rim," he explained. "The planet is largely a frozen ocean, but there is significant geothermal activity. The planet is near a thick asteroid field rich in metals to use in constructing your new capital, and the planet also boasts an extremely rare spice."

Formbi examined the planet closely, and finally nodded, "It appears colder than our own world, but not unbearably so. It will take time to rebuild our society however."

Luke nodded, "Of course. We will give what aid we can." There were a small number of details to be worked out, but soon the Chiss's new home was formally given, and Luke turned the subject he cared about, rather than some worthless planet even more remote than Tatooine. "What can you tell me about the Vagaari?"

Thrawn cleared his throat and leaned forward, "I can answer that most effectively Director. The Vagaari are a slaving race from an unknown area beyond our own borders. They began moving through out space forty-two years ago, and our peoples had light clashes for some time afterward, but the Vagaari never deliberately attacked us at first. Our people had a strict policy of never beginning a conflict." That, Han thought to himself, had to be the single stupidest defense policy he could imagine.

"The Vagaari were aware of this," Thrawn continued, "And so avoided provocation until approximately twenty-five years ago. By then they had amassed significantly more strength, and took our forces by suprrise. The Vagaari had mapped many of our defensive installations without our knowledge, and destroyed nearly half our fleet in a surprise attack. In addition to their own forces however the Vagaari had been supplemented by biological weapons and ships we believe originated beyond the edge of the galaxy. These new systems gave their ships a distinct tactical edge over our own vessels, which we were unable to overcome. We fought a long time, but ultimately our initial defeats proved insurmountable. Our homeworld fell shortly after our first meeting, and what remained of our people retreated into our Redoubt. For years we held off the Vagaari assaults, but six months ago they destroyed our last defensive station, and entered the Redoubt itself.

"Our remaining planets fell, until what few ships remained were able to break the interdiction fields the Vagaari used to trap us. There were twice as many ships at the beginning, but Vagaari attacks at every stop reduced our numbers until we entered your space. The ships here represent the future of our people. The rest have either died or been taken as Vagaari slaves, either way they are not recoverable currently." Thrawn sighed, "I would like to request that the Alliance attack the Vagaari, but given your hostilities with the Republic it would likely not be possible."

Luke nodded, "Eighty-percent of our military is deployed opposing the Republic currently, and we cannot afford to shift our forces away currently. I will do what I can to arrange surgical strikes aimed at rescuing prisoners."

"That would be appreciated," Thrawn acknowledged.

"These extra-galactic allies of the Vagaari," Luke noted. "What do you know about them?"

"Little," Thrawn answered. "We have records going back centuries of possible contact with a group our people call the Far Outsiders, but solid information is scarce. Our analysts however have determined the group uses biological creatures in places of machines, and are extremely hostile toward the galaxy's current inhabitants. We believe they are preparing for an invasion."

Luke nodded, "Thank you, I will look through old Republic records for similar encounters. For now, I believe the two of you have preparations to make, the trip to Hoth can begin whenever you are prepared."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"The aliens overwhelmed our defenses before we could mobilize," the holographic message was saying. "To any Republic or Alliance forces, we are outmatched and need assistance. Please send help."

The message broke up the signal faded and Lorana Jinzler scowled. She wasn't authorized to act outside Alliance space, but this message's timing was to convenient not to look into. Reports were slowly filtering in over the Alliance's Holonet about the threat from the outer borders of the Vagaari. It seemed far too coincidental that this message arrived so soon afterward.

She rapidly wrote a report and forwarded it to Coruscant. "Order's my lady?" the base's commander asked.

"Ready the garrison." Jinzler ordered. "Send no response. When reinforcements arrive send them to join our strike force. If Director Skywalker has further orders send them directly to me."

"Yes my lady," the commander said, immediately departing to carry out her instruction.

"Inform my Star Destroyer," Jinzler added, before sweeping from the room.

Her shuttle was already waiting and ready to take off when Jinzler arrived at the landing bay of the primary base on Cerea. The planet had refused the Republic's invitations to join in the waning years of the Galactic Republic, preferring instead to maintain isolation and shun modern technology as the world had done for hundreds of years.

It had fallen in less than an hour when the Alliance military had arrived two years after the treaty.

Since then the planet had been turned into one of the great agricultural centers which fed the vast network of clones, recruits, and conscripts who were stationed across the occupation zone of Director Skywalker. Fields of every crop that could be raised cross the virtually the entire habitable zone of the planet, with the planet's population primarily occupied in the production of food, all watched over by the armored troops that served as the occupation force.

The base itself was the center of Alliance operations in the system, with multiple turbolaser batteries in place to counter a landing force from space. It was built into a mountain, and housed multiple squadrons of fighters and bombers that could serve as either a defensive force, or a assault force against any uprising. Hidden across the grounds were the underground bunkers housing the modern All-Terrain Reconnaissance Vehicles, fully armored walkers designed to replace the Pod Walkers and AT-RT's with a single vehicle. Also buried inside were the All-Terrain Assault Craft, upgraded versions of the old AT-TE's, with eight longer legs to allow easier and faster movement across trenches, as well as a single rotating cannon with coaxial repeating blasters mounted underneath that turret. Despite its greater size the design had been compacted to ensure a larger field of fire. Furthermore, its armor had been designed specifically to be immune to the smaller blasters of both its own brethren, as well as lighter vehicles of the Alliance military. This allowed the platforms to work directly in support, and fire on each other if necessary, without damaging the craft.

In essence any attempted uprising was doomed to failure. Her shuttle however went up to the waiting Star Destroyer _Liberty_. With it were the escorting _Venators_ , an aging ship with increasingly limited utility so far as the Alliance was concerned, as well as the system's own Acclamators, a vessel completely obsolete against modern forces, but serviceable for the light duty of this system. By the time she arrived on the bridge the ship was ready to jump to hyperspace, its slave systems already ensuring the Venators were ready to follow. Those ships would carry the ground troops who would conduct any ground attack, while her own destroyer formed the center of the space assault. "Go," Jinzler ordered as she settled into her chair, almost a throne really, overlooking the array of consoles and officers who ran every part of the ship.

There was a slight jolt as the hyperdrive engines engaged, then the stars blurred and the fleet was on its way.

* * *

The hyperlanes in this part of space had fallen into disuse since the war, so it took longer than should have been necessary. Drifting debris had to be navigated around and the nav computers required occasional updates of information before allowing speedy progression. It was irritating Jinzler thought, but a necessary irritant. Wasting resources was not the Alliance's way, and losing any of her ships wouldn't do at all.

Due to these delays it took just over three days to arrive at the planet Bakura, original source of the distress call. Their exit from hyperspace was on the edge of the system, and Jinzler immediately noted the detection of several large vessels in orbit around the third planet. Reaching out through the Force she could feel the lingering effects of several small-scale battles. Her attention was distracted as the scans of the ships complted. Five of them in all. The largest just under two-thirds the length of her own Star Destroyer, and less heavily armed. The others were under half that size. A single _Venator_ would have been able to fight all five to a standstill. Against her squadron it would be a slaughter.

"Take us in," she ordered, "And open a communications line." Technically this force hadn't done anything to the Alliance, and if they weren't Vagaari the fleet would probably leave. The plight of one minor planet didn't bother her.

There was no response, at least not directly. The ships seemed to have blocked all incoming communications with an outgoing message. Its message was simple, promising an eternity of peace through a process called entechnment. Jinzler frowned, something about that seemed…ominous.

She reached out again, and this time felt directly toward the alien vessels. And she recoiled in horror as she touched their technology with her mind. Thousands of people, all trapped inside hellish existence. She forced herself onward, feeling the planet below where the people seemed to be attempted a retreat from cities that were in flames toward what they hoped was safety. But droids powered by that abomination pursued them relentlessly, both on the ground and in the sky.

She finally came back to herself as her second in command noted, "My lady, we are within range to begin long-range bombardment."

"Do it," she breathed, the words almost a hiss. "Wipe the invaders out. Every single one. No quarter."

"Yes my lady," he answered. The _Kuat's_ turbolasers swiveled into place and opened fire, joined moments later by the long-range bombardment guns of the _Venators_. The first of the light ships vanished under the bombardment, and the rest turned to open fire in return.

Moments later however the invaders seemed to realize how outmatched they were and began to move as if to escape to hyperspace. "Activate the gravity generators," Jinzler ordered. The Star Destroyer's weapons fire slackened significantly as much of its power was diverted to the gravity well generators.

Two more of the smaller vessels vanished as their shields were overwhelmed. Fighters had departed the surface to attack the Imperial vessels, but these were met by Alliance fighters in a blazing melee well away from the main body of the Alliance fleet. At the extreme ranges the Star Destroyers currently occupied they couldn't maintain this gravity well long, but their opponents couldn't know that. After a moment's hesitation the enemy capital ships turned and charged at the Alliance ships.

It was the worst decision they could have made. Their own weapons blazed in response as they moved within range, but this also put them within range of the Kuat's medium-range guns, which were significantly more accurate than their long-ranged counterparts. The mismatch was increased even more, and under the fury of Alliance Star Destroyers the attackers ceased to exist.

"Secure the planet," Jinzler said coldly. "Wipe out any of those droids you see. Inform the populace that they are now under the protection of the Alliance. Implement standard occupation rules."

"Yes, my lady," the other officers replied.

* * *

"I will expect your final report in two weeks," Skywalker's recording concluded.

"Send a confirmation," Jinzler said. "I'll be preparing a response." The Alliance had managed to partially recreate the Holonet, but real-time communication across the Alliance was still out of their technical ability, apart from a small number of extremely expensive machines that Skywalker controlled distribution of. Still she reflected, even the days required to wait for responses now was better than during the war, when it was faster to send a ship than a message.

The planet below was largely pacified, if only out of terror due to the possibility of the aliens returning. Conscripts from Coruscant had been deployed to maintain order, with the ever-present clones, or at least the crack Alliance troops who were often mistaken for the rarer clone forces, as a backup. More ships would be coming from Cerea soon, with dedicated occupation troops who would turn Bakura into another Alliance subject world. The Republic would protest, but nothing more. Neither side was yet willing to start the next war over a neutral planet.

* * *

Dantooine stretched out below Mara as she guided her ship down. This had been the first point she had worked out from the beacon, but even as the ship settled down on the Republic's dock she knew it wasn't the right place. The feeling was all wrong. The Jedi weren't here. They'd never been here. Which meant that either the beacon had been incorrect, or more likely that she had broken the encryption incorrectly. The former was unlikely, and the latter at least probable. So she set aside the first possibility and focused on the second. The Alliance had never really broken Jedi codes before, not to the extent used on the homing beacons at any rate. And her slicing had only had an eighty-five percent match regardless. The best answer therefore was track down another Jedi, and get their beacon as well. Using both systems she would be able to crack it faster, in theory at least.

This presented a problem however as it had taken even Rhamnous nearly a year to track a single Jedi through whatever veil over the Force shrouded them from her master's sight. Fortunately, the port here on Dantooine might provide the solution. It would include a Republic listening post, and therefore at least some information about their military movements. That would likely be the easiest method to track another Jedi she decided, but she would need to plan.

* * *

She went over her cover story in her head again and began out of the craft. The dock was empty, although she had to register the ship at a small terminal before it would allow her access to the port itself. A bored clerk was waiting past the other bays and barely glanced at Mara as she approached.

"Name, ship class, and purpose of visit," he asked.

"Beru Lars," Mara answered, using a tone similar to that of the clerk, as though this was something, she had done a thousand times before. "YT freighter. Stop-off on a cargo run for fuel and supplies."

"Contents," the clerk asked.

"Tibanna gas," Mara said, presenting the faked license she had obtained. It wasn't entirely untrue. If the ship was searched they would find Tibanna gas, and would hopefully stop there.

"And destination," the clerk continued.

"Dac," Mara answered. It was a boring answer, but safe. Most of the Republic's most powerful ships were manufactured at the planet known to most of the galaxy as Mon Calamari. Yaga Minor and Sluis Van were major shipyards as well, but nothing else in Republic space matched the scale of the Mon Cal's efforts.

"Welcome to Dantooine," the clerk intoned before waving her through. Mara smiled and went on her way. The port itself was small. A single cantina was in the complex, and it was quiet at this time of day. Nearby the Republic garrison sat, neither obvious nor threatening the way Alliance positions were built. It was remarkably small from the outside, and nondescript. There were no armored troops at the entrance, nor any blaster turrets in place.

Stretching out with the Force she saw that the building really was just a small thing, no layers underground that would house a vast number of vehicles or large number of troops. More importantly however there was only a simple security system. The Republic knew this wasn't a vital system, and had designed the area accordingly.

Ducking out of sight Mara pulled out a small reconnaissance droid and set it to analyze the exterior of the Republic position for possible points of entry she had missed, and get a count of how many employees would come and go throughout the day.

That done she did what any normal pilot would do and headed to the cantina for relaxation while the droid did its work.

She was six rounds into crushing the local regulars at Sabaac when the droid sent a quick message that its work was done. She gracefully bowed out, while telling the bartender to use her winnings to pay for drinks the rest of the night. Perhaps that would lure out even more of the Republic's bored personnel.

She rendevouzed with the droid aboard her ship and began going over the information. There was a small emergency exit in the rear of the building which wasn't readily apparent. It was connected to a basic alarm system, but bypassing that would be a simple matter. There were no more than four Republic personnel inside at a time, normally only three.

None of that would be a problem for her.

Smiling at her good fortune Mara pocketed the information, deactivated the droid, and then hid it away in the smuggler compartments she kept the rest of her infiltration equipment in. Rapidly she changed out of her flight suit and into a stolen Republic uniform, grabbing a fake identification as well. They wouldn't stand up to close inspection, especially not with a group as small as this, but just a few seconds would be enough. The slicing tools came next, and finally a small datapad to record whatever information she found.

Satisfied that she was ready she departed the ship again and started out of the dock. The clerk was gone, which she thought was odd, but given the noise coming from the cantina she could guess where he'd ended up. Reaching out with the Force she found that there was only a single person inside the Republic building, which was more than she could have hoped for. Carefully making her way around she found the emergency exit, and it was the matter of a few minutes to deactivate the alarm and get the door open. Bringing up one of her small scanners she looked for surveillance equipment, but there wasn't any.

She smiled as she slipped inside and shut the door behind her. The Republic had always been more lax with their intelligence work than the Alliance, it came from the freedoms offered to its citizens rather than the order and safety provided under her own government.

She confidently advanced toward the lone lifesign, knowing this person would be in the primary room of the building. The door slid open soundlessly and she unhooked her lightsaber, preparing to kill whoever was inside to finish her mission.

She was a foot inside when the door closed behind her, and there was the sound of a lock clicking into place. She whirled, but couldn't feel anything amiss. Then she heard the voice, one she knew all too well, "You were expected Mara Jade."

She turned toward the voice of Darth Rhamnous, and saw him. He was young, wearing a white flight suit, and carrying the hilt of a lightsaber. He looked much like her master had from the old holos of him from the Corulag Academy. But that meant…

"Owen," She said. "You've made my job easier than expected."

"I did not arrange our meeting," the Jedi told her, a small smile on his face.

Mara lept at him, but something caught her in mid-air. It was the Force and she reached out to break its hold, but even as she did so the person in front of her faded and was replaced by another. This one however was surrounded by a blue aura that washed out the color of his clothes, but he was still instantly recognizable. "Anakin," she breathed, the terror overwhelming her.

The dead Jedi smiled at the name. "You recognized me, I am flattered. However, I'm afraid I can't let your mission continue either. We are not ready. But you will be quite safe." As he spoke the Force descended on Mara once again, and she felt her body begin to shut down.

In furious desperation she lashed out, trying to at least send a signal to her master, let him know where she was, but it was absorbed by the ghost in front of her. And in that terrible instant she knew that Dantooine had been a trap. Not one planned out initially, the Jedi weren't strong enough to sacrifice one of their own like that, but the moment she had taken the beacon she'd been doomed to capture.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jade's scream echoed through the connection Luke had with his apprentice, and then suddenly it went silent. He could no longer feel her in the Force, which was alarming. He would have felt her death, in theory. He'd worked out this connection based on half-formed theories of long-dead Sith and research that had never been followed through. He looked out into the Force, trying to find some sign of Jade, but nothing was there. Not for the first time Luke wished he had gotten more information out of Plagueis before the other Sith's death. He didn't regret the Muun's death, but his master had been less than forthcoming on certain aspects of the Force.

Or, Luke admitted, it was possibly Plagueis simply hadn't known. Dwelling on his own apprentice brought him back to the vast failings of his own master. The Muun had had the idiotic obsession with immortality that had dragged the Order down over the years. Dozens of Sith Lords had wasted years or decades of time chasing it, and they had all failed. That had been an interesting revelation to Luke after his own apprenticeship. No matter their power, no matter their knowledge they had all failed completely to achieve immortality.

For his part he had taken what remained of Plagueis's research and destroyed it all, as well as deliberately concealing all information about the search from Jade. So much effort, so much time wasted on that pursuit. If he had his way the Sith obsession with immortality was over, as would its complete obsession with power. There was some hypocrisy in that, Luke would admit to himself occasionally given his own status, but mastery of the Force was but a means to an end. If those ends could be achieved through other ends then so be it.

All of that was a distraction though as he expanded his search, continuing to look for Jade. Again there was nothing. He had long known the Jedi had managed to hide themselves away from his sight somehow, but hadn't considered the possibility they could do so to a Sith as well. If they could it was even more of an issue than he'd imagined. He focused harder, trying to find where the scream in the Force had originated, but even that was concealed. He could only get a general region, but that left thousands of planets to search, and there was no guarantee she'd even been on a planet at the time.

The level of independence he'd given Jade had been a risk, but one he's thought was acceptable. Clearly that had not been the case. He pulled himself out of the Force and turned to more mundane channels. Alliance agents in the Republic had other methods of tracking someone. If Jade had landed on a planet there would be docking clearances, and if those could be tracked they could start interviewing inhabitants to find some sign of where she had gone. That would still take time, but it was the only option available.

That done he dismissed the loss for now and settled back to work on the latest report from his commanders within Alliance space.

* * *

"Two declarations of war are next on the agenda," Kuat Sector Director Lorth Needa announced, pulling up the document. Around him were the other Directors who served as the true civilian leadership of the Alliance. Padme Amidala of Naboo, Satine Kenobi of Mandalore, Mon Mothma of Chandrila, Wilhuf Tarkin of Eriadu, Raymus Antilles of Alderaan, and Daclif Gallamby of Corellia were the greatest among them.

"The Vagaari Skywalker had already informed us of, and these unknown aliens routed at Bakura," Amidala noted. She skimmed the files for any new details. "I don't see an issue."

"He is requesting an extermination order for both," Tarkin noted coldly. "Full destruction of both races upon defeat."

"The Vagaari are slavers and pirates," Antilles answered dismissively. "They deserve whatever happens to them."

"Agreed," Mon Mothma said as she finished reviewing the new information as well. "They are a threat to everyone in the galaxy so long as they exist."

Tarkin shrugged, knowing when he was outvoted. Its not that he particularly cared what happened to either group, but both exhibited interesting technology which could be studied. "And the other?" He asked.

"This entechment is monstrous," Amidala answered immediately. "That they would even consider such a means of power is grounds for destruction."

"It could be useful," Gallamby said darkly. "Not necessarily entechment of sentients but I wonder if it could be turned to other beings. Wookies perhaps."

"Or Gungans," Antilles told Padme.

She shot her husband a grin. "I have other uses for those barbarians," she answered. Everyone knew that. The Naboo oceans were worked by Gungan slaves, or Amidala referred to them 'prisoners' bringing up the plasma which fueled the planet's industry.

"I agree with Skywalker," Needa announced. "The aliens should be tracked to their homewolrd, and we should burn it to a cinder as a message to the galaxy about what they did. There are certain lines no one should cross, and this is one of them."

"Let us vote," Satine moved, and Amidala quickly seconded.

Of the forty regional directors there were no votes of opposition, and only Tarkin abstained. That done the Director's forwared their recommendation to the Legislature to be rubber stamped, and less than twenty minutes later the order was sent to the Alliance fleets. The Vagaari and this other alien group were to be shot on sight, with no quarter offered, and their worlds were to be destroyed. It was an order only issued once before, against the Yevetha when those beings had shown their colors four years before.

* * *

The door to Padme's quarters slid open to reveal Duchess Kenobi of Mandalore, and with her were Luke and Padme Kenobi, the two children she and Obi-Wan had had a few years before. "Aunt Padme," Luke shouted, jumping up and hugging the woman as she returned the gesture.

"My how you've grown," Padme said, rumpling his hair. The older, but more shy Padme Kenobi hid behind her mother's dress, and Amidala didn't press the issue. The girl always took a few minutes to get over her awkwardness around people. "Could Obi-Wan not make it?" she asked, settling into one of the chairs.

"Unfortunately, not," Satine answered, picking up one of the glasses that had already been set out. "Intelligence business. He's apparently heading up Skywalker's lead task force into the Unknown Regions. Taking one of those Chiss with him, "Thrawn I think his name was. They are going to raid Vagaari space and save what slaves they can before the rest of their forces arrive. Then…"

Amidala nodded. "How is Mandalore?"

"Recovered," Satine answered. "Fett's group has finished tracking down the last of the Death Watch remnants. Skywalker pulled them off the planet a little over a month ago. I think they're probably headed into the Unknown Regions with Obi-Wan next. He left his daughter though, she's old enough to start classes now. The family has been a huge help, so I've arranged the best institution in the Sector for her. Then probably Corulag or Anaxes afterward."

Amidala nodded. "Fett tracked down a group of rogue Gungans a few years ago for me. He was exceptionally fast and efficient about the process. As good as his father in many ways."

"And Naboo itself?" Satine asked. It was difficult to get current news with the still slow communications even between the Core.

"Stable," Amidala answered. "What dissidents there were have either been purged or keep their heads down. The Gungans are resigned to their fate as well. In a few decades they might even be half-civilized. Maybe then they'll realize this has all been for their own good."

"I doubt it," Satine noted.

Padme nodded, then felt her stomach roiling and dashed out. She hadn't really sympathized with Satine years before when the other woman had been pregnant, but she certainly did now.

* * *

Mara Jade awoke with a slight sense that something was wrong. She was missing something. Something important. No, more than that, something that was a fundamental part of her. The feeling was so fundamentally wrong that it took her a remarkably long time to realize that she couldn't feel the Force. Somehow it was completely gone.

The feeling was terrifying. Never in her life had the feeling been gone, and she had become so reliant on it as a servant and companion that the realization of just how alone she was overwhelmed her, making the woman break down into sobs for the first time in her entire life. After a few moments she got herself back under control and realized a far worse truth. Without the Force her master would not be able to find her. Panic rose again, and she began searching the small room she found herself in for some way out. There wasn't one. It was small, but not exactly uncomfortable. There was minimal furniture, and she could tell immediately that the bedspread was too light to hold her weight even if she could have gotten out the window. Likely a preventative measure if she tried to hang herself. Not that that was likely, there was too much at stake. The window itself was clearly made of transparisteel, which looked to have been installed that way originally.

There was no reason for a normal cell window to be made that way, meaning wherever she was it had been specifically built as a prison. Given the nature of her capture, it had been constructed specifically to hold her. The window was quite high in a structure overlooking a large jungle, which unfortunately did not give her much of a hint. There were more jungles in the galaxy than there were inhabited planets. This one could have been any number of countless examples. The only identifying feature was some kind of pyramid in the distance, but she didn't recognize the design.

There was a sound from behind her and she whirled, to find a young man bringing a tray in. "Owen," she hissed, recognizing him.

"Hello Mara," he said with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're awake. Anakin expected you to be up and about by now, so we thought you might like some food." He set it down and noted, "The window's impenetrable. I should know, they had me try to escape from here. And that was with Anakin giving suggestions."

Deciding it was best to pretend to be a docile captive she asked, "And the Force?"

"A rather fascinating creature from the planet Myrkyr is responsible," Owen explained. "They somehow developed the ability to push the Force away. We transplanted several thousand of them here when the Academy was founded."

"The Academy," Mara breathed.

Owen nodded, "You've found it in a manner of speaking. The whole building is shielded by ysilimiri to block out your master's gaze. And when we are outside practicing Anakin exerts himself to block the view."

"And you're telling me all of this…?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, starting back out. "There's no escape from this planet. Even if you got out of the building Anakin would catch you immediately. There are no ships within a hundred miles, and every speeder is locked to a specific trainee. You are quite trapped."

"I see." Mara answered slowly.

"I doubt it," Owen answered, preparing to close the door. "Your obedient act isn't going to work. Everyone you talk to has already been trained for this assignment, and we know exactly what to expect."

The door slid closed and Mara was left to brood. So long as those creatures were in place Rhamnous would never be able to locate her. If they could be removed or if she could escape however, she was sure their mental link would enable her to break through Anakin's jamming. There had to be some reason she'd been rendered unconscious before being taken captive if they'd been onto her that fast. Even just a few moments would be enough to get her master here. And he would come himself, that she was sure of. A chance to rescue his apprentice and destroy the Republic's Jedi was too great a target for Rhamnous to leave to others.

If she was going to escape however she would need strength, and so she rather grudgingly began to eat.

* * *

"We've got confirmation," Obi-Wan Kenobi announced, settling into his position on the _Kuat_ -class vessel _Fraternity_.

"Excellent," Thrawn answered, settling into his own position as an allied observer. "Your alliance seems far more willing to take action than my own government."

"On certain topics," Kenobi said. "If you would."

Thrawn nodded, "These are the coordinates of our former home world. The Vagaari left little but ruins after it fell. There should be only a minimal force defending it, if anything."

"Take us there," Kenobi ordered when the coordinates had been laid in. There was a confirmation, and two minutes later the ship shifted into hyperdrive. The going would be slow, as the route would have to be mapped as the Destroyer moved. But when the larger force followed they would have a clear path.

* * *

Lorana Jinzler's force dropped out of hyperspace in the inner system of Cattamascar, a planet that probes had shown had also been assaulted by the alien menace. The world had been even more lightly defended than Bakura, and the aliens had successfully taken it shortly before their assault on the other world. Reaching through the Force she fought down the revulsion that entechment naturally evoked, and announced, "Reports were correct. There is a large scale effort taking place on the planet."

"I'm reading two of their larger ships and sixteen smaller vessels moving to intercept us," Commander Lethian, a Kuat-born man, and her long-time second in command announced. "Reading some eight hundred of their fighters."

"Signal the fleet to jump now," she ordered. The order was sent and she continued, "Activate gravity well-generators…now." The Force had whispered the correct timing, and the generators hummed to life at precisely the correct instant. The aliens found themselves facing her Venators at point blank range. Nearly four hundred of the enemy fighters slammed into the Destroyer's forward shields before they could even begin to maneuver away. Sensors showed the small wave of miniature novae where the impacts occurred, but there was no damage to the larger Alliance vessels.

No further orders were needed.

The aliens were exterminated mercilessly, and the Alliance ground force rapidly descended upon the planet to carry out their orders there as well. No signals had even gotten out, meaning that wherever the aliens were they had no idea what was coming.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mace Windu, Supreme Chancellor of the New Republic was a tired old man. He thought so anyway. Since his predecessor's death on Coruscant Windu had often wished he had been there in Dooku's place. The older Jedi had a charisma and vision that none could match. And Windu viewed himself as a vastly inferior replacement. His own leadership was really more a desperate bid to stop the disparate worlds that had made up the Jedi territory, and what sections of the Galactic Republic hadn't been lost in the dark years after Dio's death.

If Anakin Skywalker had convinced the various Rim worlds to unify, he had left everything after that to others. The reorganized Senate was still a group of small-minded bureaucrats who had to be drug kicking and screaming to every action that made the Republic stronger if they couldn't see the immediate benefits.

And those sacrifices were needed. The Alliance was still out there, and they suffered no such difficulties. The Directors might rule over a scattered and decentralized Empire, but the unifying forces of Luke Skywalker ensured they were all connected. Even ignoring the immediate threat of the Alliance, the border itself represented massive problems.

For one thing, it wasn't actually a border. Instead what existed was a rough outline based on where the battle lines had been on the last day of the War. Within that outline there was enough leeway that entire systems found themselves divided between the two sides, and the Alliance was far less willing to stick to their own theoretical territory.

The Alliance also tended to be aggressively expansionist, overrunning the worlds that had refused to join either side one by one. If Mace had had his way the Republic would have stepped in to defend them. That wasn't possible however. The Republic fleet was still drastically weaker than their opponent's forces even with the new Dac warships coming online, which finally gave the Republic a match for the powerful Star Destroyers the Alliance favored. If the reports coming from Alliance space were true, the Kuati ships were also less manpower heavy than the Dac ships. Ironically the Republic with its heavy focus on droid soldiers, had been outpaced by the Alliance in slave circuitry on ships.

If Mace was honest with himself, the only reason the Republic still existed was because the Alliance was stretched too thin occupying the Galactic Core, Colonies, and Inner Rim. Progress had been made to narrow that gap, but the industry of the Core was too well established for only a decade to overcome.

A familiar presense pulled him out of his thoughts however, and he looked up to see Anakin Skywalker's ghost forming in the middle of the room. "Master Skywalker," Windu intoned respectfully.

Anakin grinned, "No need for that. I'm too dead to be respected." The other Jedi took a moment to ensure there wasn't anywhere close by who might overhear before saying, "We've captured the Sith apprentice."

"Captured?" Windu asked. "Why?"

"Its part of the plan," Anakin said vaguely. "Her presence is necessary for our final victory."

"You can't have come all this way to be that vague," Windu noted. Normally Skywalker would have sent this message through an intermediary.

"Not one this crucial," Skywalker countered. "Her master will come for her in time. When he does you cannot try to stop him. And no one else can know about this. He can't find out too soon. Do you understand?"

Windu nodded, his exhaustion showing through. "Give me more information and we won't intercept."

"Good," Anakin noted. Then he waved a hand and a small writing tool darted up and scrawled the information out.

Windu glanced at it and asked, "That long? Won't he choose another Dark Jedi as an apprentice before then."

"No," Anakin answered immediately. "My son is many things, but he is a poor Sith Lord. Too much personal loyalty and sentiment for the cold blooded disdain for those who directly serve him. He will search for his apprentice until he either finds or, or decides that she was killed. Neither will occur in time."

"If you say so," Windu answered. "Anything else?"

"One," Anakin answered. "Transfer two-thirds of the Mid-Rim fleet to the Outer Rim."

"Are you insane? Windu demanded. "That fleet is what keeps the Alliance from smashing our borders down and taking more of the galaxy."

"The Alliance is too distracted to invade," Anakin noted. "And will be for many years. They have engaged in multiple battles with an enemy from the far side of the galaxy, and are preparing for strikes against another foe in the Unknown Regions."

"In that case we still shouldn't transfer forces," Windu answered. "We might not be strong enough to battle the Alliance alone, but if their fleets are stretched so thin we could retake the rest of the Mid-Rim, perhaps even the Colonies."

Anakin sighed. "The foes the Alliance is attacking are worse than they are. Letting them win the coming war will devastate the galaxy. And it will leave the Republic too weak for another such foe."

"What enemy?" Windu asked.

"I don't know," Anakin answered, and for once that claim seemed to be true. "I've tried to investigate, but something blocks me. But whoever it is will invade soon, from multiple fronts, and from outside the galaxy. That's all I can determine."

Windu frowned, but finally gave in. "I'll send the order," He said irritably. Anakin grinned, and vanished.

* * *

"Would you like to meditate?" Owen asked as he set Mara's breakfast down for the day."

"I am," she said irritably. It was half-true. She'd been trying, but the constant noise from the jungle outside always distracted her. Or one of the Jedi did. Or someone else.

"There's a specialized room for it," he noted. "One floor down. Completely soundproofed."

Jade laughed, "And I just get to go down there whenever I want I'm sure."

"Not whenever you wanted," he said. "But if you behave we can give you access a few extra floors."

"I'll escape," she answered flatly.

"No, you won't," Owen said with a shrug. "The building is constantly monitered. If you tried to get out of allowed areas you'd be caught in under a minute. You have no weapons, and there are none on the premises to steal. The jungle is patrolled constantly, and the building's security was extensively tested before we installed the ysalimiri. In short, no one can escape. Even if you did, there's no communication equipment on this planet to call for rescue. You're stuck here until we decide otherwise."

Mara, whose anger had been building the entire time as she reflected that he was probably right yelled, "Get out," And started looking for something to throw. There wasn't anything naturally, but Owen obeyed without objection. As the door closed behind him she settled down and again tried to meditate. Moments later she was shaken out of it by the noises outside, which couldn't even be polite enough to stay constant throughout her stay.

Instead she settled down to eat and continue planning. There was a weakness to this place, there had to be. And she would find it. When she did her master would come for her, and he would burn this planet down to get her back.

* * *

The _Fraternity_ dropped out of hyperspace and launched probes in every direction. It would be a few hours before those probes provided useable information to determine potential obstacles to easy hyperspace travel. When they did so the Destroyer would have to investigate, then either clear the obstacle or plot a course to avoid it.

That data would then be uploaded to the ship's navigational computer, and sent back to Alliance space. The ship had been working like this for three weeks now, and the routine had rapidly grown boring for Kenobi. He had little to do except sign off on reports of his subordinates and wish for the tedium to end.

This time he got his wish.

Six hours after the ship had arrived one of the probe's stopped signaling. That wouldn't have been a cause for concern since probes sometimes malfunctioned, but the last image shown was what appeared to be a warship.

It was small, but Thrawn informed him it was a ship built by Ebruchi pirates, who wouldn't attack a ship this size. Kenobi made a note to investigate when the rest of the probes were finished. He didn't have time. Eight hours after the probe's destruction eighteen ships dropped out of hyperspace virtually on top of his own craft. The Destroyer had been prepared to fight an enemy that dropped out of hyperspace at a distance, which fit the tactics of their own fleet, but not point-blank. The attackers opened fire immediately, while the _Fraternity_ itself tried to shift to its short-range weapons.

The larger and slower long-range guns began firing first, but the ships were too fast for weapons designed to slug it out with the Republic's own massive ships at extreme range. It took nearly a minute to bring the short-range turbo-lasers fully online, by which point the shields were getting dangerously low.

They would all likely have been dead already had the ship still been using the design of a Venator, but the more compact Kuat was able to maintain stronger shields over the entire ship, even accounting for its greater power source.

The short range turbo-lasers blew away half the enemy ships before they even realized there was significant danger. Three more vanished as they tried to maneuver behind the Destroyer, but again the updated design showed its worth, and two more ships vanished under the aft guns. Seeming to realize just how horribly they were outmatched the ships began to run Another was blown apart, but the survivors jumped to hyperspace.

"They wouldn't attack a ship this size?" Kenobi asked Thrawn as the last enemy ship vanished.

"Under normal circumstances," Thrawn acknowledged. "I can only guess that the fall of the Ascendancy has led to other groups previously cowed by the Chiss expanding their own spheres of influence. The entire region may need to be pacified in the future."

Kenobi nodded but said nothing. The reality was the Alliance didn't have the ships for that, nor the manpower. A simple war to wipe out a species of slavers was one thing, but they already occupied a vast swathe of territory that didn't want them. Annexing a third of the galaxy and adding even more planets to police would break them. Not with the Republic on the border.

* * *

"This is Cody," the Clone Commander, one of the few first generation clones to still be active, announced through the comm-link. "We're in position."

"Roger," the Intelligence officer noted. "Skywalker is on the move."

The tracker on the Director's transport was showing already, and Cody made another scan of the area. Coruscant was far safer than it had been when the Alliance first took the planet, but clearing millenia of build-up would be the work of decades. On either side of them skyskrapers extended for miles, each one emptied of the people who had once lived there. Grass was beginning to grow again in the places buildings had been cleared, but the ultimate goal was a long way off.

The Director's convoy emerged about half a mile over the ground. New LAATs came first, and behind them was the shielded craft that Skywalker himself traveled in. It barely fit through the five hundred yard wide valley between the buildings, but its route was meticulously planned for the monthly inspection of the planet.

He was almost through when a rocket hit one of the gunships. It slammed into the lead gunship, and exploded, blowing the LAAT across the sky. Fragments of metal rained down, and the rest opened fire on the rocket's origin point. There wasn't much point of course, that would have been an automatic system Cody knew. His own men were there to track the assassins.

Glancing at his superior for this mission he was silent, until finally Ahsoka Tano announced, "I've got them. Follow me."

She lept from the ledge, drawing her lightsaber as she did so. Cody followed, activating his jet pack as he did so. Behind him the other dozen clones came as well.

They landed eighty yards down, and Ahsoka took off without pausing. They had gone perhaps half a mile when the Togruta stopped and held up one hand. "Just ahead," she informed them quietly. "Spread out."

The clones fanned out into the surrounding areas, taking up position behind cover as they waited for the signal. It came and they charged. Dashing from cover to cover they began to fire into the makeshift camp Ahsoka had found. Immediately blaster fire was returned, and one of their number fell. The rest took cover and began firing blindly to force the opponent to keep their heads down.

The Republic insurgents had only a limited quantity of ammunition, and would not be able to respond in kind. There came the hiss of a lightsaber from somewhere ahead and Cody grinned a little. When Ahsoka got in among the enemy there were as good as dead. He heard something from behind him and turned, and for a moment was vaguely puzzled by the blue energy in front of him, then it was gone forever.

* * *

"Jedi," Ahsoka heard one of the clones shout. She cursed. There were perhaps twenty Jedi kngihts who had survived the initial assault and still alive after they'd retreated into the undercity. They rarely showed themselves, but always were costly to kill when they did. She ignited her own lightsaber and sent a challenge out through the Force. There was a response and she dashed out, meeting the blade of the advancing Jedi. It was a middle-aged man, one she didn't recognize. He must have been little more than a padawan when the planet fell, but ten years had honed those skills and she found herself fighting an equal opponent.

Back and forth their battle went, and she was barely conscious of the clones calling for backup as they continued to die around her. She only put the truth together as she barely managed to duck a second lightsaber from behind. This was one was woman, one who was old and had probably been of high rank. It took a moment for Ahsoka to recognize her, but she managed to snap, "Gallia."

"Tano," Jedi Master Adi Gallia commented. "Such a shame, you had potential."

"Not that any of you ever noticed," Ahsoka snapped, trying to fend off both her opponents at once. Her lightsaber managed to block Gallia's latest strike, but she couldn't turn quickly enough to block the last blow from her other opponent, and thought she felt the blade strike her when it was gone, and so was he.

The Force had notably darkened, and a massive presence now loomed over them Gallia was clearly distracted, and Ahsoka took the chance to fall back. As she did she saw the other Jedi against a wall, his body broken by its impact. Dozens of troops were pouring into the small area, but overshadowing them all, quite literally for those sensitive to the Force was Skywalker himself, red blade in hand.

Her other opponent now forgotten Gallia retreated, and Skywalker lept at her. The Jedi tried to run, but Skywalker was faster, catching her faster than Ahsoka could follow. The ensuing battle was brief, but vicious. Gallia was no match for the Sith Lord, but she gave it her best try. Lightsabers whirled, and as the last blow fell Gallia's head was detached from her body, which promptly crumpled.

"That was probably the most powerful of them," Skywalker said dismissively, not even glancing at the body of his fallen opponent. "Track down the survivors and wipe them out." There was an affirmation and he turned to Ahsoka, asking, "Status?"

"I'm fine," she answered. "Thanks."

"You're a good operative," he acknowledged. "It would be a shame to lose you like this. Deal with the rest, and update me when the job is done."

"Yes sir," she answered, snapping off a salute before leading the troops down the nearby corridor following the retreating rebels.


End file.
